With the operating speed of many electronic devices entering the gigahertz range, smaller physical distances and geometries in electronic product design have become necessary to limit deleterious transmission line effects, such as electronic signal reflections and oscillations. One of several design areas affected by these advances in operating speed is interconnection methodology. In response to these advances, electronic connectors utilized on printed circuit boards (PCBs) have had to become smaller while simultaneously containing more signal conductors, or xe2x80x9cpins.xe2x80x9d
Such small board-mounted connectors, being generally rectangular in shape, typically create problems for the people responsible for plugging a corresponding mating structure, such as the head of a cable assembly, into the connector. The pins of the connector are often so small and so closely positioned next to each other that even a minute misalignment of the connector and its mating structure during the plugging process may cause some of the proper connections to not be made. In some cases, this misalignment may actually cause permanent damage to the pins of the connector or mating structure. One example of such a connector is the Samtec ASP-65067-01, which is a 100-pin rectangular connector that is less than two inches long.
To remedy the alignment problem, some mechanical designers have developed shrouds that are soldered to a PCB and essentially encircle the board connector. The shroud then properly aligns the mating structure with the connector during the plugging process. However, such shrouds are generally made of plastic, thus making the shrouds somewhat expensive to manufacture, and require a significant amount of board space around the connector. Also, some specialized connectors actually contain an integrated shroud, but most are rather expensive when compared to unshrouded connectors.
As a result, many electronics manufacturers would probably appreciate an inexpensive shroud requiring a minimum of PCB space that aids in aligning an unshrouded rectangular connector with its mating structure.
Specific embodiments according to the present invention, to be described herein, entail a metallic connector shroud for a rectangular electronic connector. The connector is essentially a housing fashioned from a single piece of metal that forms three walls that surround three sides of the connector, as well as a pair of flanges that cover a portion of the fourth side of the connector. The top of the walls and flanges of the housing extend higher than the sides of the connector, thus defining a channel which helps to align a mating structure, such as the head of a cable assembly, with the connector during the plugging process. The housing also has at least one leg extending from the bottom of at least one wall that projects through a corresponding hole in the printed circuit board upon which the connector is mounted. The at least one leg would then normally be soldered to the board to provide structural stability.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.